The Power of Love
by Merlucaforever
Summary: What is going on between Meredith and Andrew during their break, especially with the arrival of a new doctor who seemed to be interested in Meredith? Will they be able to save their relationship? They hope so anyway because they both believe in the power of love. All rights reserved to Shonda Rhimes
1. Chapter 1

**The Power of Love**

**Merlucaforever**

**Notes:** _Hello guys, here I am again with a new Merluca fic to help you wait during the hiatus. It's called after a song I really like: "The Power of Love" by Celine Dion. If you don't know the lyrics, I invite you to listen to it on YouTube because there will be some nods to the song as well as some nods to my other fic, The Season of Love, which I recommend you read if you have not already done so._

_I apologize for the mistakes. I'm not a native speaker._

_Happy reading!_

**Chapter 1**

Meredith was sitting on a bench in a park near her home and watching her children play. They were so beautiful, the three of them. Her heart ached whenever she looked at them and she remembered that Derek was no longer there to see them grow up. But at the same time, she was happy to know that Derek was living through them. Ellis and Bailey looked a lot like him physically, but Zola had mostly inherited many of his personality traits.

She kept seeing the face of this quack who had taken their father away from them. She felt a kind of inner peace since she had told him what she thought of him, but his death left her completely indifferent, though she couldn't help but think it was just justice.

They brought with them bicycles, balloon, books and snack and they seemed to be having fun. She was also happy to have this little family outing because she too needed to take her mind off things after the last two weeks. The accident at Joe's and everything that happened after had strained her nerves.

When she had heard that some residents were trapped at Joe's, she had rushed on the scene, sick with fear, praying to God that nothing would happen to Andrew. But when she arrived on the scene, she saw him going from one injured person to another, shouting orders to the paramedics present, helping them to pull the victims out of the bar and carry them on stretchers. It looked like he was as trained as they were, she thought to herself, before remembering that he used to be one of them. She had approached him to help him take care of Helm, holding back with all her might so as not to throw herself into his arms. Their eyes had met for a few seconds and Meredith saw that he was also relieved to see her unscathed, but they said nothing and continued doing their job: saving lives.

Fortunately, there was more fear than harm and everyone was out of the woods now. Everyone except for Maggie who had simply quit her job. But it shouldn't be long before she got better since she had agreed to go see a therapist.

This first day had been very intense. She quickly found her bearings in the OR. It looked like she had never left. Getting back to familiar faces and smells was a real dream for her. Throughout the hearing to decide whether or not she would keep her license, she was sure everything was over, until Nancy arrived and told her the good news.

All the people from her village who had come to support her wanted to kiss her and congratulate her. She found herself in a kind of whirlwind and could barely recognize faces or hear the kind words everyone was saying to her. And when she finally freed herself from all those hugs, the only face she wanted to see in the crowd was gone. And she knew why. She knew she had hurt him by telling him that they won't make it if she could no longer cut. He had been the first to take her in his arms to congratulate her, but he had quickly broken apart from her.

That evening, as soon as she opened the door and saw him so handsome in his suit of a great Italian designer, but also with such a serious look, she had a presentiment that he was going to move even further away from her. When he started talking to her about equality, respect and partnership she quickly realized that he had misinterpreted her words. She didn't want to imply that she couldn't stand that he had a career and not her because she thought she was superior, but she meant that not being able to pursue her career would destroy her and ruin not only her life but those of her loved ones because surgery was part of her.

And how could he think that she didn't respect him? Was it possible that he might have a problem with the fact that she was a well-known surgeon when he was still a resident? If that was the case, he had never shown it to her, on the contrary. He had proved to her many times how proud he was of her, how much he admired her. But she had to admit that, deep down, she had wondered, knowing that he had fallen in love with the famous surgeon she was, whether he would continue to love her the same way if she lost her license.

The day had been so emotional that she was unable to think properly and didn't know what to say to him. As she was about to ask him to put off their discussion, he had simply decided to dump her.

Of course, after having spent the last fifteen days thinking about it, she understood better what he meant but at the time she felt dumped by the only person she wanted to rely on, and she was mad at him for that reason. Although he told her that he only wanted to give her some time to figure out what she wanted, when they met at the hospital the day she got back, she acted like a hurt girlfriend who wanted revenge and had really misbehaved.

Indeed, she pretended to ignore him at work, even going so far as to pretend to flirt with the new head of pediatric surgery who seemed to have a crush on her, although it looked quite the opposite on the day they had met. In fact, he wanted to make amends and kept bringing her coffee, although he had noticed that she didn't drink them – only one man knew her favorite coffee. He even dared to come and sit at her table yesterday at the cafeteria. Andrew had come in a moment later and left immediately without ordering anything after seeing them together.

She hadn't felt any joy in making him jealous, on the contrary. She would have liked to run after him to tell him that there was nothing between her and this doctor a bit pretentious and aware of his charms, but she didn't want to make a spectacle of herself. However, she thought that she had to talk to him and had just made her mind to do so. She missed him too much. She used to wake up in his arm, hold on to his body and feel each move he made while listening to the whispers in the morning and she missed it.

Lost in thoughts, Meredith jumped slightly as she heard her kids' voice.

– "Mom, can we go home?", Bailey asked.

– "Now? Usually, I have trouble dragging you away from the park. What's wrong? You're not having fun?".

– "Yes, but it's less fun without Andrew", Ellis said with a sad little voice.

– "I know", she murmured.

"_Nothing is the same without him_", she thought. And it hurt her to see that the kids were sad too. She didn't even realize that they were so attached to Andrew. The last thing she wanted was to see them sad because of the absence of someone to whom they had become attached.

– "You know, Christian doesn't sit next to Anna anymore because he's no longer her boyfriend. Is Andrew no longer your boyfriend, that's why he's not coming around anymore?", Bailey asked.

– "Uh, no, no, it's not because of that... it's just...".

– "If you did something wrong mom, just tell him you're sorry", Ellis advised her.

– "Sweetheart, you know grown-ups' stories are complicated sometimes, but I promise you we'll try to work everything out together. Okay?".

– "Okay", said Ellis.

– "OK, go get your sister so we can go home".

Settled on the grass to read her book after having ridden her bike for a long time, Zola reluctantly stood up to follow the others. She asked her:

– "Mom, Ellis said that you did something wrong and that's why Andrew's not coming around anymore".

Meredith rolled her eyes!

– "Oh, but what makes you all think I'm the one who did something wrong?".

– "Andrew is too nice, so it must be you".

– "Zola!", Meredith exclaimed.

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In the evening, she had finally managed to reach Cristina on the phone. Since the day she had received her famous package, Cristina had been flying a lot for a new research and, although they had texted each other, they hadn't managed to talk to each other. The first thing Cristina said while picking up the phone was:

– "So, did you like my gift?".

– "Cristina Yang, haven't you found anything better to send me to celebrate my license? Seriously?".

– "Seriously, yes Mer. When I spoke to you on the phone the day your resident dumped you, I had the feeling that you might do some foolish things like go on bar crawls every night in search of a one-night stand. The last time you got dumped, I had to take care of the penis of one of them if you remember?".

– "Oh no, please, don't remind me of that humiliation!".

– "I knew that Hayes had to start the day you came back to work because he was an old friend of mine and he had put my name as a reference person when he applied for the job. Tom Koracick even called me about him, and I recommended him".

– "I knew it wasn't Bailey who hired him!", Meredith exclaimed.

– "So, you still haven't answered my question. How do you like my gift? And before you answer me, let me tell you that I know he pales in comparison with your sexy Italian, but you must admit that he's not bad looking".

Meredith burst out laughing.

– "Tell me, how can you compare him with Andrew, you've never met Andrew".

– "There's no need. Don't you ever listen to yourself when you talk about him? Sounds like he's the reincarnation of Apollo!".

Meredith smiled as she remembered saying the same thing to Andrew on their first date.

– "So, he's not bad looking, is he?", Cristina insisted.

– "Whatever! But I wonder how you manage to put his ego in the package. Let me guess, there was no more room for his hair?".

They both burst out laughing.

– "No one is perfect", Cristina said.

– "Cristina, I know the one who is perfect".

– "Mer... you love him. You really love him", Cristina told her.

– "Yes, I love him. I don't know how to stop loving. Somehow, I still love Derek, you know. He is somewhere in the bottom of my heart. And at the same time, I love Andrew with all my heart! I don't want our differences to be a problem in our relationship. I cannot imagine living without him and that's precisely why lately I've been wondering what our lives would be like if he were more than a boyfriend. I was deceiving myself – and somehow protecting myself – by thinking that I didn't want him to be more than that, but he's already so much more than that. I have already experienced love and believe me, there's no way I could confuse love with a simple sexual attraction. I love Andrew. And it's certainly not McWidow who will make me forget in a blink of an eye the man I love".

– "Mer, you think I don't know that you love him? But I didn't want to see you become the wreck that you were when Derek had chosen Addison. I admit it was a desperate attempt on my part but it's only because I'm no longer here to protect you from yourself".

– "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I have a whole village here and I have Alex".

– "Since when is Alex Karev no longer _Evil Spawn_?".

– "Since you left, and he had to become my person despite himself because it was just he and I".

– "Mer, I...".

– "No. Do not say anything Cristina. I know we talk almost every week... but I miss you".

– "Okay, I know what we're going to do", Cristina said in a cheerful tone.

– "What?".

– "We need a plan to get your Apollo back...".

– "Okay, I'm in".

– "... and I'll come for Christmas to meet him!".

– "What? You're coming for Christmas?".

– "You bet!".

_**Notes:**__ I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I'm looking forward to your feedback._

_There is a nod to Merluca's first date in the Season of Love (this is chapter 7, which corresponds to episode 15x13). I invite you to read it or reread it. It's one of my favorite chapters._

_See you soon!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It was Monday morning and Meredith was happy to be at work because, after spending a long weekend longing for Andrew, she was finally going to see him and talk to him. She hoped that things could work out between them. It was just too hard not to be with him. She knew he was in love with her as much as she was in love with him, so it shouldn't be that difficult to fix things.

She was heading to the residents' lounge in search of Andrew when she saw him talking with his sister Carina. Her heart started beating faster and she automatically moved towards him. They were from behind and, as she approached, she could better distinguish what they were saying.

– "Andrea, I assure you, she's not only amazing but she's also a hottie. I'm sure you'll like her. Did I tell you she was Italian?".

Meredith stopped short when she heard what Carina had just said.

– "Carina, I don't think I should be around people these days", replied Andrew.

– "Exactly, you have to take your mind off things. I don't want to see you with that face anymore. Please, come on. I've already told her you'll be there, you know", his sister insisted.

Andrew let out a long sigh before giving in:

– "Okay, if you insist".

– "Great!".

Meredith would have wanted to run away before they noticed her presence, but, unfortunately, she backed away without looking behind her and hit a nurse who was carrying a pile of files. Of course, they all landed on the floor although she and the nurse did everything to try to catch them.

Andrew and his sister turned around at the same time and were surprised to see her there. Andrew stooped mechanically to help the nurse and try to calm her down because she seemed to be in a state.

– "Come on Ashley, it's OK".

– "I'm sorry Dr. Deluca. Dr. Bailey asked me to bring you these files. I'm sorry. I did not see Dr. Grey coming".

– "It's OK Ashley, don't worry".

Meredith had noticed how much the nurse was troubled by Andrew. She must have been new – she had probably arrived during her absence – because it was the first time Meredith had noticed her. On the other hand, it wasn't surprising that the nurse knew her – who in the hospital didn't know Meredith Grey!

Meanwhile, Carina and Meredith greeted each other with a mere nod. Carina seemed to be mad at her as if she was the one who had dumped her brother and not the other way around. As Andrew got up and met her eyes, she mumbled a few words by way of apology and walked away quickly.

She had never been so hurt before. She didn't know that jealousy could hurt so badly, and God knows that she had already experienced the pangs of jealousy with Derek and his hidden wife, his nurse and that girl in Washington. Andrew was already willing to move on and his sister was playing the matchmaker trying to fix him up with a hot Italian girl. And besides, he was spoiled for choice at the hospital. It must be said that word gets around fast at _Grey Sloan_. Everyone had to know now that he was fancy-free. The problem is that she doesn't feel that way.

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Andrew had worked more than twenty hours in a row and was exhausted. He had been working himself to death since their break, which looked more and more like a breakup. It was just a way of not thinking about Meredith, but it didn't work at all. All he wanted was to get back home and sleep for the next twenty years. Maybe the pain in his heart would have subsided a little when he woke up, he thought.

Meredith was avoiding him, and it seemed that the new head of pediatric surgery had become her shadow. He had wanted to go talk to her under Link's advice but had changed his mind. It seemed to him that she was already willing to move on while he was overwhelmed by love and sorrow. He refused to believe that their story could end like this. His great love couldn't end that way. It was a love that he could not forsake.

He was walking slowly in the parking lot when he heard sweet familiar voices calling his name. He turned around and saw Bailey and Ellis running toward him and he leaned over and opened his arms to hug them. They were followed by Zola who seemed very happy to see him too, according to her broad smile. Maggie, who had just picked them up in order to take them home, was waiting for them near the car. Andrew hadn't seen her since she quit her job the night of the accident.

– "Andrew! Are you mad at us too?", Ellis asked right off the bat.

– "No, of course not, sweetie".

– "Then how come you don't come home anymore?", Zola asked.

– "Uh... well... I was just thinking about it because I missed you all so much!".

– "Then come with us!", Bailey said.

– "Uh... let's see what your aunt thinks".

He approached Maggie and realized immediately that she wasn't well at all.

– "Maggie, is everything OK?".

– "Guys, how about waiting for me into the car?".

While the kids were getting reluctantly into the car, Maggie responded to Andrew's worried and questioning look.

– "I didn't know that coming back to the hospital would have such an effect on me. Maybe I'm not as strong as my therapist tells me".

– "Maggie, I... I'll drive you home, okay?".

– "No, don't bother. You've just finished your shift, you must be tired...".

– "Twenty hours... yeah, I am! But I could do twenty more because I'm not going to sleep a wink anyways", he said sighing.

When Maggie saw his sad face, she said:

– "Andrew, I'm sorry for you and Meredith".

– "Don't worry, everything will work out. She just needs more time than I thought. I should have known that this break would be horrible to bear and think twice before putting it forward. Come on, give me the keys".

Maggie complied obediently and the children squealed with delight in unison when they saw Andrew put his stuff in the car and settled behind the wheel.

– "So, what about pizza for dinner?".

– "Yippee!", they said in chorus.

Andrew smiled. He had really missed the kids. He escorted them home, helped them with their homework, fed them and then they watched an episode of their favorite series on Netflix. They had a good time together and laughed a lot. The children told him everything they had done during the last two weeks and of course Ellis indulged in her favorite pastime: doing his hair. It reminded him of the evening Meredith had introduced him to her children.

Andrew was also happy to have been able to help Maggie who seemed unable to handle all that. She had been lying on the sofa since he was there, staring into pace from time to time. She had only gotten up to help him tuck the children in and had returned to settle in the same spot. Not surprisingly, the younger ones wanted Andrew to read them a story and he was happy to do so. Then, he watched them fall asleep and smiled. He got back the feeling of being "at home" that he no longer felt when he was alone in his place.

He had just finished the dishes and put everything away when he discovered Maggie asleep on the couch. After laying out a blanket over her, he took his phone to call a taxi when Meredith opened the door. He put his hands in his pockets and watched her walk toward him.

– "Hey!", greeted Meredith quietly so as not to wake up Maggie.

– "Hey!", he greeted her in return. And then he said: "Uh... Maggie needed a helping hand with the kids. They had dinner and are in bed now. I hope you don't mind that I came".

– "Uh... no, of course not".

– "Actually, I think Maggie really needs help".

– "I know. She's being helped".

– "Meredith, she cannot take care of the kids".

– "I know, it was the nanny who was supposed to pick them up, but she had to take her mother to the hospital for an emergency and Amelia and I were both in the OR. I didn't get the message until I got out of the OR".

– "You know, I'm here if you need a hand with the kids. I'd even be very happy to help".

He paused, stepped forward and said:

– "I miss them".

Which meant: "_I miss you"_.

Meredith also move closer to him and replied:

– "Okay. They miss you too".

Which meant: "_I miss you too"_.

They looked at each other intensely. They were dying to throw themselves into each other's arms and kiss each other. But neither of them dared to make the first move.

– "I'd better leave, I'm dead on my feet!".

– "How are you going to get home? I did not see your motorcycle?".

– "I was going to call a taxi. I wouldn't have been able to stand up straight on the motorcycle anyways".

All the better, she thought. She was always worried about him riding that damn motorcycle. She still had nightmares when she thought back to the day when she had thought that he had been in a motorcycle accident.

– "Yes, I know you always take a taxi when you're too exhausted after a shift. And thank you for taking care of the kids. That's very kind of you. I can give you a ride home, you know".

– "Don't bother. I'll call a taxi; I'll wait under the porch".

They remembered at the same time the evening of their first date when he stayed under the porch to wait for his taxi to go home. Meredith was troubled by his gaze and he knew what made her blush like that.

– "No, I insist. I can see how tired you are. As usual, you had to give in to all the whims of the children, hadn't you? There nothing to discuss! I'll drive you home. Just give me a minute, I'll take a look at the kids".

– "Okay", he said, too tired to argue. She would have won anyways!

She went downstairs five minutes later. She had swapped her long-sleeved blouse for a low-cut blue T-shirt with very short sleeves and put on more comfortable shoes. Andrew watched her come down the stairs... "_God she was so beautiful and sexy!_", he thought.

– "Shall we go?", she said.

Andrew followed her silently.

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During the short drive to his home they had only exchanged banalities and they remained silent almost all the time. Andrew wondered how he was going to get around her every day without having the right to touch her, to kiss her.

– "Do you want to put some music on?", proposed Meredith, who had had enough of this silence.

– "Sure, why not?", Andrew said.

He stretched out his hand to turn on the radio at the same time as Meredith. His fingers grazed hers and it didn't take more than that for their bodies to react. Meredith was trouble staying focused on her driving while the radio was playing "_The power of Love" _by Celine Dion. The lyrics echoed in her and she would have liked to be able to repeat them to Andrew because she couldn't find anything coherent to say to fill in the awkward silence that dragged on until they reached their destination. The song was just over when she turned off the engine in front of Andrew's apartment, but the lyrics were still resonating in the air.

The tension was palpable. And suddenly what they felt was stronger than them. Stronger than their doubts, stronger than their fears, stronger than any obstacle that could represent any new head of department or any hot Italian girl on their way. She was his lady and he was her man. They bent over at the same time to kiss each other. At first hesitant, their kiss deepened to become frankly torrid. He held Meredith's face in his hands while she let her hand run through his thick black hair as she loved to do so. Their tongues met, parted, searched and found each other. They were holding each other as if they couldn't imagine letting go.

Meredith's hands slipped over the back of his neck and then over his torso as he kissed her neck and grabbed one of her breasts whose nipples were already erected. When Meredith found the belt of his jeans Andrew thought he was lost. My God, they were not going to have sex in the car in front of his building!

– "Mer, we should stop now", said Andrew who was panting.

But Meredith was already trying to unzip his jeans to free the beast that was getting bigger as she stroked it.

– "Why?", she whispered as she continued to kiss him.

Her moans made him lose his mind. She drew him even closer, pulling at his clothes, and whispered in his ear:

– "Andrew, I want you... and you want me…"

Precisely, he wanted her too much. He had to use all his will to find the strength to break apart from her. As much as he wanted her, as much as he knew that it would be a mistake to give in to temptation. No. Not here. Not without talking first. He took her hands and told her:

– "Mer, no... that's not how we're are going to solve our problems. That's for couples who don't know how to communicate and we're better than that".

Meredith would have wanted to say otherwise, but she knew he was right. She moved away and mechanically arranged her hair, her clothes, trying as best she could to regain her composure.

– "You're right... we have to talk first", she agreed.

– "Tomorrow?".

– "Yes, tomorrow. We can meet for lunch if that's okay with you".

– "No, I already have a... thing, with Carina. Why not in the evening?"

– "Okay, I'll call you".

He started bending over and almost kissed her good night but hesitated for a split-second thinking that it would be wiser to refrain from kissing her because he didn't know if he would have found the strength to stop again. No, if he kissed her again, he was sure he would never stop.

– "Good night, Mer", he said simply.

Meredith thought that it was nice to hear him say her name again instead of "Dr. Grey", like he had started calling her again at the hospital. His voice was warm and tender. Meredith looked him in the eye and replied:

– "Good night, Andrew".

But that night, Andrew had a hard time falling asleep alone in his cold bed, tormented by the image of Meredith that he had burnt in his head: breathless, her hair down and tousled, her eyes full of desire and her lips a little redder by his kisses…

_**Notes:**__ I hope you enjoyed this new chapter and that the wait until January 23rd isn't too hard to bear. I really like receiving your kudos and I thank you for that, but I like to read your comments too in order to find out what you think. So, whether you liked it or not, feel free to let me know. Maybe I could do better next time._

_There are several nods to The Season of Love: Chapter 15 (episode 15x21-Part 1) about the motorcycle accident which was mentioned and also Chapter 19 (episode 15x23) when _Meredith had introduced _Andrew_ to her kids as her boyfriend. _I invite you to read or reread those chapters. _

_See you soon!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was already half past noon and Meredith had just left the OR after a five-hours surgery. She knew that she should take the time to grab something to eat but for the moment, she needed to lie down, at least half an hour, before her next surgery – especially since she had hardly slept last night after giving Andrew a ride home. She had got out of the car and stood in front of his door for more than a minute, wondering whether or not to ring the doorbell before changing her mind and leaving.

She was coming down the main staircase of the entrance hall when she came across Helm who hugged her – it had become their thing since the day of the accident when she had thought that she wasn't going to make it. She watched her walk toward a girl with long black hair who was waiting near the reception desk.

– "Miss Castelli?".

– "Maria. Call me Maria, please", she said with a strong Italian accent.

– "Maria, Dr. Deluca will be here in a moment. I'm under orders to take you to the cafeteria and offer you something to drink".

– "Okay, you're very nice".

– "Thank you. And you, you are... you are... wow!", said Helm, visibly troubled by the beauty of the visitor.

She laughed lightly, obviously used to making that effect on people. Meredith knew better than anyone the effect that the Italian charm could have on people.

Meredith couldn't take her eyes off Andrew's visitor and followed her. She stopped near the cafeteria, but not too close. So, that's why they couldn't have lunch together, she thought. Because he had a date, in the hospital on top of that! Meredith remembered the conversation between Andrew and her sister that she had heard. Carina wanted to fix him up with a hot Italian girl. She wasn't wrong about the description. She had only forgotten to mention that she was still a kid.

And then she saw him. He was heading cheerfully to the cafeteria where the two young women had disappeared a few moments ago. She needed some air... She took the elevator to the rooftop which she began to pace furiously. That can't be happening! How could he do this to her? And to think that she had threw herself into his arms last night! She understood better now why he had rejected her.

She was getting a little teary-eyed and she would have like to put it down to the fact that the wind was blowing a lot, but she knew she couldn't lie to herself. She felt hurt, betrayed. While she had finally admitted that she couldn't live without him, for his part, he had already move on. Something about this girl reminded her of Sam Bello. So, that was his type of woman?

Meredith realized that her half-hour break had flew by quickly only when she was paged for her next surgery that she had to perform with Hayes. She had to pull herself together and come down. It was not the time to let go, however upset she might be. She had to regain her composure to operate because she knew that her work was going to be scrutinized by this McWidow.

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For his part, Andrew had not seen the time pass either because his lunch was going so well. Carina was right, he had to take his mind off things. And she was also right in saying that Maria was amazing.

– "So, what do you think of her?", Carina asked, as if she was reading his mind.

– "I think she's even more amazing than you told me. Too bad we couldn't offer her better than the horrible food of the cafeteria!".

Maria smiled and replied:

– "No, it wasn't horrible. I would rather say that it was... interesting".

They all burst out laughing. Carina and Maria smiled at each other while staring at each other lovingly. They seemed very happy together and Andrew was happy for them. His sister hadn't been in a serious relationship since Arizona left.

– "You will surely find their pie interesting too. I'll go get you some".

– "Andrea, I have to go back to work".

– "Oh, but you probably have five minutes. I'll be right back".

After taking tree slices of pie, he was queuing at the cash register when he noticed Amelia and Link in the queue paying for their purchases. They were laughing a lot. It was nice to see them happy, knowing that they would have to wait until the birth of the baby to know who the father was. As he approached them to great them, he heard Amelia say to Link:

– "I assure you! This new chief of pediatric surgery is a gift that Cristina has sent to Meredith to celebrate her license and forget that she was dumped by a resident. At home, we call him _the package,_ but he also has other nicknames, you know".

– "Other nicknames? Which ones?", asked Link, as they walked away without even noticing his presence, too absorbed in their conversation.

Andrew was paralyzed and couldn't move. The two doctors in front of him were moving forward, but he was still standing in the same place. Fortunately, Carina had come to tell him that they would have to leave the pie for the next time since she had just been paged for a patient who was about to give birth and that she had to accompany Maria to her car. They left a little hurriedly after hugging him and thanking him for the lunch – it was his treat – but he didn't even remember if he had been able to find something coherent to say.

When he arrived at the cash register, he paid for the pies that he threw into the first garbage bin he found on his way as he walked to the elevator to go get some air on the rooftop. He would have sworn that he recognized Meredith's perfume in the elevator, and he thought that he must be hallucinating.

As soon as he reached the rooftop, he immediately felt the cold wind and thrust his hands into the pockets of his blouse. It's useless to speculate without more information, he told himself, so as not to go crazy. He had to talk to her if he wanted to find out exactly what was going on. He hadn't had the chance to meet her yet today because she spent all the morning in the OR. He had checked the board and knew she would be at the OR for the rest of the day since she had another intervention with this Hayes which may have already started.

He sent her a message so that she could call him as soon as she's out. But she replied a moment later: "_S__orry, I have a thing tonight"._ A thing? What thing, he wondered? Why such a cold message suddenly? What has happened since last night? They almost had sex in her car, damn it! Jealousy was eating away at him.

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Everything became clear when he saw her with Hayes coming out of the room of their young patient who had just woken up after the surgery.

– "I must admit that you really kill it Grey. Good Job! Can I buy you a drink?", Hayes asked her.

Meredith had noticed Andrew's presence as she was about to answer and did her best to avoid eye contact with him.

– "Our favorite bar has been destroyed as you know. But I'm starving and I was going to go grab a bite to eat in the cafeteria. You're welcome to join me if you want".

– "I'd love to!", said Hayes while eyeing up Meredith.

– "Let's go then!".

Andrew watched them flirt in front of him as if he were invisible and manage to remain impassive although he was seething with rage. And to think that after what happened last night in the car, he thought they were going to make it! But apparently it didn't mean anything to her. The sex between them was always mind-blowing, maybe that's all she wanted from him.

– "Deluca, right?", Hayes said, as he stopped in front of him.

Andrew proudly straightened his head, thrust his hands into the pockets of his blouse and held his gaze as if to outface him, without bothering to answer him.

Meredith pretended not to have noticed the hostility between the two men and walked away without looking back.

Hayes then told him, as he walked away, in turn, to follow Meredith:

– "Take care of my post-ops".

Andrew watched him leave, still seething with rage. How he would have enjoyed grabbing Hayes by the collar and dragging him around the hospital! Actually, he has been picturing the scene – And my God, how good he felt! – when Link's voice made him jump slightly.

– "The evil eye!".

– "What?".

Andrew turned around and saw Link who was looking at him.

– "If a simple look had the power to harm, that man would have died".

Andrew let out a long sigh and ran his fingers through his hair with a disheartened look.

– "Don't worry dude! It sticks out a mile that she's in love with you".

– "Oh yeah? What makes you so sure?".

– "She chose you, a simple resident, over me, the hottest surgeon of Grey Sloan. If that's not love! And just between us, you know how Amelia and Maggie call that guy?".

Andrew raised his eyebrows in a sign of questioning.

– "They call him McBaldie".

Seeing that he still hadn't managed to get even a half-smile out from Andrew, Link told him:

– "What? Don't you think that's funny?".

– "I can't see what's funny when he humiliates me like a first-year intern and leaves with the woman I love. Whether he is bald or not, he's the one who wins. To get her back, I would shave my head without any hesitation".

– "I must admit that you have a point there. Come on, man. I'll buy you a drink. I think I need it as much as you do. When does your shift end?".

– "In less than half an hour. I'm just going to entrust the resident on duty tonight with Hayes' post-ops".

– "All right, I'll meet you in the lobby then! In the meantime, don't do any foolish think, like... shaving your head!".

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, Meredith and Hayes were in the cafeteria. Strangely enough, she was no longer hungry and was playing with her salad. Hayes was speaking to her and she kept giving him one-word answers because she couldn't help but think about the only man with whom she really wanted to be. She was here with Hayes only because she wanted him to feel the same way she had felt knowing that he was with that Maria Castelli in the cafeteria.

Maybe they had sat at this table? Or that one over there? Did he think she was pretty, attractive? Oh, certainly, she told herself. What did they talk about? Are they going to meet again after this first date? Was it an actual date? Did he walk her to her car? Did he kiss her goodbye?

– "I thought you were starving?".

Hayes' voice pulled her from her thoughts.

– "Uh... So did I", she replied.

– "You want my diagnosis?".

– "What? Are you going to tell me why I'm no longer hungry?".

He looked at her and said:

– "It's not over between you two yet, is it?".

Meredith looked at him, surprised that he could read so clearly in her. She was also surprised that he was already aware of those rumors. She sighed and said:

– "No, it's not over yet". After a moment of silence, she said to him: "I'm sorry… if I made you think...".

He cut her short:

– "Don't be. I knew it from the beginning".

And as Meredith stared at him with a puzzled look, he simply said:

– "You look at him the way I used to look at my wife; like I might never look at anyone else again".

– "You know, when my husband died, me too I thought that I would never be able to look at someone like that again".

– "Are you telling me that I'd better find myself a hot intern?".

They both laughed. It was at that very moment that Andrew, who was on his way to the lobby to join Link, saw them together. He really needed that drink, he thought.

_**Notes:**__ I hope you enjoyed this new chapter and I thank you for your kudos. I really like reading your comments too, so please, let me know what you think. I know we are all concerned about Merluca and the purpose of that fic is to give you some hope about their future._

_In the last scene with Hayes, Meredith said she didn't think she'd fall in love again. The first chapters of The Season of Love (which I invite you to read or reread) clearly show how she fought this feeling. But love always wins._

_See you soon._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_**Notes:**__ Hi guys, I wanted to post this chapter before Christmas to wish you a Merry Christmas, but unfortunately, I failed to do so. I hope you had a very good time with your loved ones. Wishing you all a joyous Holiday season and a wonderful New Year! _

_Enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think._

– "What! Meredith Grey is giving up the fight because of a kid!", Cristina said, with a shocked look.

Meredith had called her in a panic after having put the kids to bed to tell her about Maria Castelli. She was sitting on her bed and watching her friend's expression on the screen of her phone.

– "Cristina, we can see that you haven't seen her. Did I tell you that she looked a lot like Sam?".

– "It's true that Sam is very pretty. When I greeted her here with her adorable, sad face, I found myself wondering if I was bisexual".

– "Cristina!".

– "Yeah, I assure you! But I quickly realized that I wasn't bisexual because if I were so, then you were the one I would have fallen in love with".

– "Cristina Yang, be serious for once, please!".

– "What! But I am serious. Okay. To summarize what you've told me, he had lunch with this Maria Costa...".

– "Castelli", Meredith corrected.

– "OK. He had lunch with this Maria Castelli in the cafeteria. This is not what I would call a romantic date. Maybe, it was only to please his sister who wanted him to meet other people. This Maria is his McWidow, his package. His sister acted exactly like me and you can't blame her. And you, naughty girl, let me tell you that you are just as guilty as him for flirting and eating twice with McWidow in the cafeteria".

– "But I'm not into him at all and you know it. In addition, we made it clear tonight so that he doesn't have false hopes".

– "Ok, you're not into him at all and I think I got that. But tell me, what makes you think that Andrew is attracted to this girl?".

– "I told you she was...".

– "I know, she's a real hottie. But you are Meredith Grey for God's sake! Have you looked at yourself in a mirror recently? Get off your ass and go get your man back. But please do not be pathetic. No more: _pick me, choose me, love me_, OK".

– "You're right. I know that begging like that it's pathetic, but I can't promise you that I won't do it because every fiber of my being would like to do so. I want him to pick me, to choose me. I need him to love me even if I don't want to have to beg for that. Oh, Cristina, I acted like an ass today flirting openly in front of him with Hayes at the risk of throwing him into the arms of this Italian girl! I don't want us to call it quits".

– "I see that love always make you do the same stupid things. But I remind you that you are not an intern anymore. If he chooses the hottie Italian girl, the only thing I can promise you is that the next McWidow I'll send you will have a thick black hair. The last time I spoke to Ellis, the only information she thought it would be useful to give me was that Andrew let her comb his hair".

Meredith laughed slightly and it reminded her of how good Andrew was to the kids. It was not just his hair that made him stand out from Hayes. It was a bunch of other little things that made him special. She sighed deeply and replied to her bestie:

– "That would be great if your next McWidow could cook too...".

– "I think I might be able to work that out".

– "And speak Italian...".

– "Hmm ... a bit difficult but still right up my street".

And she continued what seemed to be an endless enumeration punctuated with sighs, a blissful smile on her lips:

– "And also, if he could make me melt only by the way he looks at me... make me laugh all the time for no particular reason... always hold my hand... turn back time for me... go to jail for me – even if I have no intention of going to jail again".

– "OK, I see. This is a very clear specification, but the list of the characteristics is starting to be a bit long".

– "Oh, as a matter of fact, I was just getting started you know. I haven't even talked about his other... mind-blowing talents... if you know what I mean".

– "Mer, I don't think we have this model in store".

– "I know. We don't produce this kind of model on an assembly line. It's a unique model. If I lose him, I'll never find someone like him again". She took a slight pause before adding: "He's really special Cristina".

– "So, you know what you have to do".

– "Yes. I know. After all, I am _Wonder Woman_, no?".

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day, Meredith took special care to get dressed and make up to get to work. She had also brought sexy clothes and underwear to change. Because her plan was to tease Andrew all day and then show up at his place early in the evening. She had already set everything up to be free for the evening... and all night.

She was on her way to her department when she ran into Jo in front of Bailey's office.

– "Hi!", she greeted her.

– "Hi!", replied Jo.

– "Why do you stand guard in front of the office of the chief? What are you on the lookout for?", asked Meredith.

– "I'm waiting for Link who's getting the last instructions from the chief. He's scheduled to perform a groundbreaking surgery at Pac-North today. Andrew accompanies him. I think it's going to last most of the day", Jo replied before giving her a little more detail about the operation.

Although she was happy that Andrew had been chosen to participate in such an incredible surgery, Meredith quickly realized that this news may thwart her plans.

At the same moment, they saw Link, Nico and Andrew leaving Bailey's office. The chief, who had accompanied them at the doorstep, told them:

– "I don't know why I've agreed to let you go to Pac-North for that surgery. They should have transferred the patient to us instead; they are not sufficiently equipped for such an operation over there".

– "I know. We've all been enticed by Jo to get on board. Pac-North needs to get a lot of publicity. She's full of beans that girl, especially lately. She has completely changed since she had this...".

Link stopped short when he saw Jo who was shaking her head in a horrified look. He almost said "_Since she had this baby" _forgetting that Bailey had lost hers. He cleared his throat and continued:

– "Since she had her position as an attending".

– "Dr. Lincoln, you know you can say _baby_ infront of me without me falling apart. I am a doctor and as the chief of surgery I see babies every day. The parents even ask me to pose for photos", Bailey said, turning around to get back to her office.

Link approached Jo and Meredith while Nico and Andrew were already moving away after greeting them briefly with a nod. Meredith called Andrew and took a few steps to join him:

– "Andrew, do you have a minute?".

Andrew looked very upset and told her:

– "I'm sorry, I have to leave. If it's about the post-ops, you can tell… Hayes that I took care of them last night while you had making eyes at each other".

– "Andrew, I'm so sorry for yesterday. I have to explain to you...".

– "Don't bother, I got it. Actually no, I didn't understand anything at all, but your explanations won't change that anyways".

– "I... Andrew, I miss you", Meredith whispered almost inaudibly.

Andrew sighed and stared at her with a sad and upset look.

– "Meredith, I can't make heads or tails out of you! Are you kidding me? Do you only know what you want? I asked you to take some time to figure it out, remember? And last night, I think I got my answer: it is not the resident you're interested in".

Meredith shook her head and was about to answer him seeing the deep sadness in his eye, but she didn't have time to do so. Indeed, Link, who was talking to Jo, approached them and patted Andrew on the shoulder to invite him to follow him.

– Sorry man, we should go. Grey!", he said, nodding to Meredith.

Then Andrew looked at her and said:

– "I have to go. Sorry".

Meredith was getting a little teary-eyed as she watched Andrew walk away. Jo approached her and said:

– "Well, there's no doubt, you're still in love with him... Mmm... But then, why is the whole hospital whispering that you're dating the new head of pediatric surgery?".

– "What? Where did you hear that? I'm not dating Hayes?", exclaimed Meredith.

– "All the better, because I don't like him. I can't help thinking that he's a usurper who has taken Alex's place. But you should tell Andrew that there's nothing between you and this arrogant bald-headed dude. The poor boy is in love with you Meredith and he must be thinking that a resident cannot compete with a head of department. Link has been trying to cheer him up, but he seems more miserable than ever. He might console himself with a nice nurse, you know".

– "Or a hottie Italian girl", muttered Meredith.

– "What?".

– "Never mind".

– "Well, I should go to work now", Jo said. Then she added, as she walked away: "Don't forget that you are coming over tonight to meet the baby!".

Oh, no, she had completely forgotten! She thought for a moment about cancelling but she couldn't because she missed Alex so much. Since she was rehired at Grey Sloan, she had a hectic schedule and hadn't got a chance to go see the baby and moreover Jo had taken a few days off to stay with him at home. Doubtlessly, that would take her mind off things and she needed that. Her attempt at seduction was going to have to wait. Anyway, Andrew was angry with her and needed time to calm down.

A little voice told her that she was chickening out because she was more worried that he would reject her than anything else, but she pretended to ignore it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Meredith was having a great time with Alex, who had helped her figure out more clearly what she really felt. Jo had practically left them all alone during the whole time to take care of the baby. Meredith had found him just adorable and was happy for her friends, especially Alex. His cute little face had managed to dissipate her sad mood, even if it was only for a moment.

After the dinner – they had ordered Chinese food – Alex told her that the operation had been a success thanks to a genius idea Andrew had had. Link had let him perform the procedure on his own since it was his idea. And he told her almost the same words that Richard had told her once:

– "Meredith, Andrew has really impressed us today with his self-composure and his professionalism in the OR. And when I say "us", I'm not just talking about Link and myself. I'm also talking about Webber. He told him that only one fifth-year resident had impressed him that much, and I'm sorry to tell you so, but it wasn't you".

– "I know. It was my mother", Meredith replied, not at all jealous of the fact that it wasn't her. On the contrary, she was moved and proud suddenly. She had no doubt that Andrew would achieve greatness in his career.

– "It's a very good surgeon, Mer. I would gladly offer him a position at Pac-North once he would have passed his exam this year, but I know that the most prestigious hospitals will entice him to join their team by paying him better salariesand that I would have no chance of hiring him. On top of that, he's really a good man. I know he loves you and I know you love him. I knew it before you even told me so. Mer, do you really want to let him go?".

– "No, I have no intention of letting him go. I wanted to talk to him today, but you've been monopolizing him all day!".

Jo, who was handing her a beer at the same time, said:

– "So, get a move on. I caught some nurses whispering about him. And I heard two very hot doctors – I wouldn't say who – say: _if he was good enough for Meredith Grey, then he's also good enough for us. He must be a great lay!_".

– "What? So, that's all people think about in this hospital!", exclaimed Meredith, who pretended to be scandalized.

Alex laughed and said to her:

– "And they don't just think about it, on top of that! I think that's the thing I regret the most when I'm pining for _Grey Sloan_".

– "Um ... we can fix that", Jo told him. "I could go from time to time to Pac -North".

Alex pulled her to him, and they began to kiss each other in front of Meredith who looked amused and moved. She was glad to witness the happiness of her friends. She told them:

– "Stop that! There's a baby here! And I haven't had sex for ages!".

Jo and Alex burst out laughing. Alex says to her:

– "And what are you still doing here? Why don't you go have it away with your boyfriend and let me do the same with my wife?".

– "You know what, this is the best idea I've ever heard!", said Meredith who put her beer on the coffee table, without having touched it, grabbed her bag and rushed toward the door.

But the Kavevs were already paying no attention to her.

– "Don't wake the baby!", she shouted at them, closing the door behind her, happy and lighthearted, running towards the man she loved. If there was one thing she knew that would never change, it was that she loved him and that they were made for each other.

_**Notes:**__ Alex mentioned that Meredith had told him that she loved Andrew. You'll find that scene in The Season of Love, chapter 21._

_See you soon for the last chapter._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Meredith has been pounding on the door of Andrew's apartment for a while until he rushed over to open it.

**\- **"Meredith? Are you aware there's a doorbell?".

Shirtless, Andrew was wearing shorts and sandals. He was obviously coming out of the shower because his hair was still damp from it. "_My Goodness, how could he be so perfect?_", she wondered, admiring his alluring abs, his toned arms where she loved to snuggle to so much. And his legs! Droplets of water in his black hair made them sparkle as they caught the light. Meredith wanted to run her fingers through his hair and put the curly strand of hair that fell on his forehead back into place.

**\- **"I am surprised to see you here".

He stepped aside to let her in and after closing the door he looked at her questioningly. It was only when she met his eyes that Meredith realized that she had been devouring him with her eyes from head to toe for a while without saying anything. She tried to hide from him how troubled she was and restrained herself from throwing herself into his arms. She remembered Cristina's words when she had told her not to be pathetic but, at the same time, she needed to tell him what she felt for him, even if she no longer knew what he felt for her. This was not the time to chicken out, she told to herself.

**\- **"Andrew, we need to talk, and this cannot wait any longer".

Andrew thought: "_That's it! She has come to break up_". He felt devastated and was waiting for her to deal him a death blow.

\- "OK", he said as he plucked up the courage to not let his despair show through his face. But when she started to speak, Andrew looked at her, puzzled. And, as he was listening to her, his heart began to pound.

**\- **"I'm sorry", she said. She took a step toward him and added: "I miss you terribly". Then another step: "I… I need you". And a last step. She could almost touch him now and looked up to meet his eyes and then she said: "I love you, Andrew".

What? She loved him? He let out a long sigh of relief. He was so happy to hear these words! "_But then, why this little game with Hayes?", _he wondered

Seeing that he didn't answer anything, Meredith told him:

**\- **"Your turn. You just have to say that you love me too… and make love to me".

Then she slowly raised her hand to caress his torso slightly. She felt him shiver and saw him close his eyes for a moment. She was happy to see that she was still able to arouse him like that just by touching him.

\- "Meredith!", he muttered as he let out a sigh, struggling to restrain the desire that overwhelmed him. He leaned his forehead against hers and whispered to her, "Mer... I've been going through hell for the past few weeks. I think we have to clear things up better than that".

\- "OK", conceded Meredith knowing that they couldn't put off this conversation any longer. "But if you want us to spend the whole night just talking, you're going to have to put on a T-shirt. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to focus on what you're saying".

\- "Mer!".

\- "I'm serious, go ahead!", she said, pushing him slightly.

Andrew sighed and disappeared into his room for a moment. Meredith took the opportunity to put down her bag and went to sit quietly on the couch. But when Andrew got back, Meredith figured that it wasn't such a good idea asking him to wear a T-shirt. Indeed, he was wearing a red one which brought out his perfect abs and his muscular arms even more than if they were bare.

Seeing her roll her eyes Andrew stopped short to ask her:

**\- **"What?".

**\- **"No, nothing. Never mind! You wanted us to talk, so let's talk".

**\- **"OK, promise me you won't interrupt me".

Meredith nodded to invite him to continue. He began to speak while pacing, pausing from time to time to look at her or run his hands through his hair.

\- "I know that I've told you I don't feel like you respect me as your equal. But at the same time, I know that Meredith Grey respects everyone and is a staunch defender of equality. Besides, I wasn't referring to our careers either. They will probably never be at the same level and I'm fine with it. really, I am! By the way, everyone agrees that you are the best – well, everyone outside of Bailey", he said with a small smile.

Meredith emitted that little laugh that he had missed so much.

**\- **"Of course, no one is better than Bailey!", she admitted.

But Andrew was already going on with his explanation:

**\- **"Maybe, what I should have told you is that I feel like you don't respect us enough, that you don't respect our relationship enough. At times, it seems to me that you don't know what you really want from our relationship. Am I just passing through your life until you get tired of me?".

**\- **"No!", she exclaimed.

**\- **"Or am I part of your life?".

**\- **"Andrew...", she wanted to protest but he continued as if she hadn't interrupted him.

**\- **"These past few days, I felt like I was just a resident with whom you were having fun until you found someone more worthy of you... like a head of department that your best friend would have sent you".

\- "How do you know that Cristina...".

She said to herself: "_It's probably Amelia or Link who had let the cat out of the bag_".

\- "It's not important", Andrew said. "Your turn now. Oh, but I almost forgot…".

He sat down next to her, held her hands, and squeezed them slightly for a while. And then, looking at her deeply, he said to her:

\- "I love you, Meredith".

Meredith smiled, happy to hear those three little words. He loved her and that's all that mattered. She took a deep breath and began to speak in turn.

**\- **"Andrew, I cannot deny that you have every reason to believe that I don't take our relationship seriously and I'm sorry if I've failed so far to prove you otherwise. I want you to know that I do respect you and that I love you. But sometimes... sometimes I'm frightened. I'm dreading of losing again someone I love. I loved Derek when he died and for a long time, I believed that I would never be able to love anyone else. But love is stronger than our will and I fell in love again. I fell in love with you, Andrew".

Andrew smiled at her. She looked at him intensely and smiled at him as well. The way they stared at each other said everything they wanted to say to each other. But after a moment, Meredith continued:

**\- **"I thought that we could live in a bubble where it would just be the two of us and it's true that we were happy, all alone in our _Tardis _for months. I was afraid that we would live our lives to the full and let the others in: the children, the family, the job. All of this requires that we be ready, that our love be powerful enough to endure dismissals, court hearings, children's illnesses, everyday life with the family. On top of that, it's not the best timing since your career is just starting and will surely be challenging, even if I can already predict that it will be flourishing and will be every bit as good as mine. Don't they even say that the student often surpasses his mentor?".

**\- **"Meredith, I know that we're heading for something... somewhere I've never been. But I'm ready for all of this, I'm not going to run away. I'm willing to do anything for you".

**\- **"Yes, I know", she said. And for the record, I've never been interested in Hayes".

**\- **"Oh yeah? I've seen you flirting with him, though".

**\- **"It's never gone any further than that, I assure you. I wanted to make you jealous because I thought you had dumped me and also because… because… I was… uh..."

**\- **"What?", ask Andrew.

**\- **"Because I was jealous OK", she said, a bit ashamed of herself for having been such an idiot.

**\- **"Uh... jealous? Jealous of who?", asked Andrew who really couldn't figure out who she was jealous of, because he had never looked at anyone else.

**\- **"… That Maria Castelli with whom you had lunch in the cafeteria the other day".

**\- **"What? You're jealous of Maria?", Andrew said, laughing at her.

**\- **"It's not funny, you know. I felt like strangling her when she came to the reception desk asking for you. Are you going to tell me who she is?".

**\- **"Look, I understand you. You have no idea how many times I've wanted to strangle Hayes! Are you sure she asked for me? Mer… you didn't remember that there were two Dr. Deluca and that they were both dating girls!".

**\- **"Oh, no!", she said, hiding her face in her hands.

\- "So, don't you ever learn from your mistakes Dr. Grey? Have you forgotten the story with Rose?".

**\- **"Please, I don't want to remember how much I made a fool of myself that day! So, you're saying that she was looking for... Carina. Hmm... your sister has good taste".

**\- **"The Delucas have very good taste; it's a family trait", he said, gazing at her with an admiring smile to say that he had very good taste too. Then he went on: "It's my sister's new great love and she absolutely wanted to introduce her to me. And since I kept cancelling on her because I didn't want to see anyone these days, she ended up inviting her to the cafeteria".

**\- **"Oh... What an idiot I was!".

**\- **"We were both stupid. What a waste of time!". And then he said in his warm and tender voice: "Come here. I don't want you to be far away from me anymore _mia cara_. Never again".

**\- **"My love, even though there may be times it seems I'm far away, never wonder where I am… because I am always by your side".

Meredith snuggled against his torso, glad they had cleared things up. The only thing that really mattered was that they loved each other and were ready to invest themselves in this relationship as actual partners, willing to do whatever it takes to make it work.

He began to stroke her cheek slightly and kissed her forehead. Meredith hugged him even closer and they both could feel the desire rising within them. She threw her head back to look at him and saw the reflection of her own lust in his eyes. She wanted him and couldn't wait any longer.

**\- **"Andrew...", she started in a voice where her lust was showing through, but he put a finger on her lips and said to her in Italian:

**-**"_Shh!__ I think this is enough talk for tonight, mia cara_".

Then he leaned down to catch her lips in a passionate kiss. Meredith was always amazed at how Andrew could take her to the stars just by kissing her. In his arms, time seemed to stand still. He kissed her tenderly at first and his kiss began to deepen as he prolonged it again and again. Meredith move to find herself straddling him. Her hands were already under his T-shirt, caressing his torso. But she wanted to feel his skin against hers and said to him, with a smirk:

**-**"I think you can take this T-shirt off now".

Andrew chuckled and complied. He helped her take her top off as well and buried his face between her breasts. Meredith moaned and slipped both hands into his silky curls. He undid her bra to free her breasts. He took one in his mouth and began to run his tongue down the hardened nipple. Then he did the same with the other one. While slowly moving her pelvis, Meredith felt that his erection was at its peak.

Their clothes bothered them, and they tried to get rid of them with their feverish hands without stopping kissing. Andrew ended up holding her hand to lead her to the bedroom where they finally removed shorts, jeans and underwear and they found themselves buck naked. Andrew admired her dream body and told her:

**\- **"You are so beautiful _mia cara_. I wish there were candles all over the room as for our first time, right here. Do you remember?".

Meredith thought inwardly: "_How to forget this magic night, this sublime night... and all the other times_". She smiled at him and replied:

**\- **"I remember all the times you have made love to me".

**\- **"So, let me love to you as I have never done before", he said, laying her on the bed.

And he kept his promise. No one had ever loved her like this before. His kisses, his caresses, his sweet nothings in Italian made her moan with pleasure. Meredith felt like she was literally melting. Andrew was taking his sweet time torturing her. He ran his hands over her thighs and placed little kisses inside her thighs which he spread slightly before slipping a finger into her, then another...

Oh my God, how warm and wet she was, Andrew thought. He wanted her so much!

**\- **"Andrew!", she let out in a begging tone.

She begged him to put an end to that unbearable waiting, but he delayed the moment as much as possible. While his fingers moved back and forth inside her, he crashed his lips onto hers and slid his tongue into her mouth at the same pace... Meredith arched herself against him as she felt the torrent of pleasures that sent her over the edge.

**\- **"Naughty girl, you didn't wait for me", he said, mocking slightly the fact that she couldn't hold back".

She was laughing as he looked at her intensely and stroked her face, as if to draw her features that he wanted to burn in his head. Then Meredith wanted to inflict the same tortures on him in return. She caressed him everywhere: his neck, his torso, his toned abs… And when she took him in her mouth Andrew emitted some supplications in Italian. He stopped her a moment later and said:

**\- **"_Cara_, stop. I'm not done making you come".

Then he flipped her over again on the bed so that she ended up lying on her back before resuming his caresses.

When their bodies finally united passionately their moans of pleasure mingled and reverberated throughout the room. Meredith felt him move back and forth inside her and their movements immediately synchronized as if they were one. Meredith hugged him tightly wanting to feel him even more intensely, even faster, even further. Their bodies found the perfect rhythm of love that only two people made for each other could find. Andrew read the ecstasy on her face as she reached seventh heaven and screamed out his name. He recognized the little smile on her lips that he had missed so much, a sign that she was satiated and happy. It was only then that he flooded her as he reached ecstasy in turn loudly.

They savored together, with a blissful smile, the moments of silence following their passionate lovemaking, which were broken only by the sound of their breaths that they had trouble to catch. Lying in his arms and listening to the sound of his heart beating, Meredith felt a peace pervade her and everything suddenly became clear. Resting on an elbow to gaze at him, she said to him:

**\- **"I love you".

**\- **"I love you too, _cara. _I love you so much!".

**\- **"Promise me that there will never be a break ".

**\- **"Believe me, there is no risk of this happening again!".

**\- **"Andrew, somehow, I'm still frightened you know. But what I'm sure of is that I'm not going to let my fear keep me from loving you. I'm going to use my love for you instead to fight this fear. I know that our love is powerful enough for that. I am ready to learn from the power of love".

**\- **"I think that I have a bunch of things to learn too and I am ready.

Listening to her gut, Meredith stared at him and asked him:

**\- **"Do you feel ready to move in with me".

Andrew couldn't believe his ears. What? Meredith Grey had just asked him to move in with her! And he was not dreaming!

**\- **"_Cara_ ... I would be the happiest man in the world. Are you sure? You really want… ".

**\- **"Yes, my love. If there's one thing I'm sure after this unbearable break, it's that I never want us to be separated again. I never want to wake up without you by my side".

\- "Me neither _mia cara_".

These words sounded like a commitment to love each other forever but neither of them wanted to take the hint. There was suddenly an overwhelming silence between them which Meredith broke by saying, a naughty smile on her lips:

\- "I will really miss your apartment, though".

\- "So, let's make sure to create lasting memories while we still can do so!".

\- "Yes, we have the whole night for that", she said before kissing him passionately.

And we have our whole life ahead of us for so much more memories, he thought inwardly. Because if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that he was going to marry that wonderful woman and spend the rest of his life with her.

_**Notes:**__ If you are interested in reading (or rereading) the story with Rose that Andrew mentioned, you will find it in The Season of Love, chapter 05. The scene of Merluca's first night with the candles is in the chapter 12 (but there are plenty of other hot scenes in the following chapters)._

_Unfortunately, this is the end of this fic and I still don't know when I'll find the inspiration for a new fic. But I promise to be back soon. _

_I wish you all happiness, health, love and prosperity for the New Year. May it be rich in Merluca!_

_Roll on January 23rd!_


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